Literary Braun

Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door (Starting soon!)

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

I also started taking time to re-organize how I write. I'm trying to learn the mysteries of Scrivener. It's format is almost perfect for the way I write, but the learning curve is merciless. I'm hoping to have it figured out either some time today or next week so I can upload the final versions of Midnight Sky, which is now up for preorder on Kindle, Kobo, and Smashwords. I'm also slowly transferring my Blogger account to Wordpress, now that I've bought a domain name. More learning curves. And I thought I was done with school.

So. That's been May. As for June... June will be freaking insanity. Next week, the final novel in the Cursed trilogy, Damnation's Door, will be released.

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...

Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

Media Kit

Chapter One

Pre-order it here:

***

I'm super excited for its release, and have been hearing great things so far from fellow author Christina Ochs and the reviewers at One Book Two, who have listed the first of many giveaways!

In a couple days, I'm going to be very excited to have Christina Ochs back on the blog to promote her new novel, Hammer of the Gods. The novel is spectacular, and I look forward to reviewing it in detail on Saturday. Sunday is the cover reveal of Midnight Sky, and almost all the signups I have will be kicking off, starting with a Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door. I'll also be sending out emails to reviewers for Midnight Sky, and am hoping the Review Opportunity will bring in more interest and help boost promotion.

While all that's going on, I'm hoping to finish the second Areios Brothers novel. I'm pretty confident I can get it done today (lest I become exhausted and distracted with Scrivener and Wordpress tutorials). It will be a relief to have it over with, and I expect the Beta edits for the first novel, Storm of the Gods, to come back in a couple days. I'll be happy to work on those and add a few changes to the story, and my goal for the end of the month is to have it sent out to publishers. I'm realistic with my expectations, which is why once those queries are sent out, I won't touch the novel for six months. If I hear nothing back, I'll self-publish the series. The Areios Brothers is extremely dear to me and I would love nothing more than to see it on book shelves, but I'm not going to revolve my career around one book.

Case in point, if I can't motivate myself to do the tutorials today, or if I fail at them abysmally, I'll be working on the series plots and first storyline for my upcoming Iron Gargoyle series. I've already started some of the first novel, and I adore it. It's been a while since I've constructed a series from scratch, and my mind is bursting with ideas for this new series. I won't give much away (the title hints at quite a bit to be honest), but hopefully it will be like nothing readers have encountered before.

So that's my June. I know. I don't know how I'm going to keep up with everything, especially since I still have to work full time at the Real Job. That said, thinking about all these upcoming projects is very exciting. I'm learning a lot and can't wait to go through all this madness again!

Cheers!

Amy

Huge Weekly Recap With Reviews, Signups, and Pre-Orders!

10:24 am 30 May 2016

Last week got busy fast, and this week is going to be even more intense. I have so much going on and even more planned, it's hard to keep up. While not everything is crossed off from last week's goals, most of it is close to being done:

Finish editingMidnight SkyASAP!
Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order setups
Format Midnight Sky(working on today)
World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods

And if you thought that was a lot of work, take a look at this:

Send out Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order links for promotions
Format Midnight Skyfor print and ebook (test out Scrivener)
Series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
Start writing The Iron Gargoyle, the first Iron Gargoyle novel
Finish the sequel to Storm of the Gods
Beta read edits for Storm of the Gods(if they come in)
Open contests for Damnation's Door(released next week!)

Yeah. So far, today has been one of those days where I just don't know where to start. Well, that's not true. I'm aiming to get the final drafts and review copies for Midnight Sky up now that the Kindle, Kobo, and Smashwords pre-order links are live. More should be on the way and the Dark Sky series page will be updated next week after the cover reveal on June 5.

Sign Ups:

Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door (Starting soon!)

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

Not that I have any expectations to get all of those goals accomplished, but to think that I might is really motivating. I mean, if I get even two or three of them done, I'll consider myself ahead of the game. Since formatting is perhaps my least favourite part of writing, I'm going to be working with Scrivener for the first time. I'm a little anxious and I hate tutorials (so boring!), but considering the issues I've had in the past, and the recommendations I've gotten, it makes sense to give it a shot and see how it works. If nothing else, at least I'll have a reliable formatting software.

Damnation's Door is out next week. I'm still working on believing that. It seems like I just finished the final draft yesterday. It's nice to know that I'll have a full, completed series, but I'm going to miss the characters. That said, I'm getting ready for the blog tours and giveaways, and have already heard great reviews from One Book Two and fellow author Christina Ochs!

Speaking of Christina Ochs, she'll be part of a special guest post this week on my blog to promote her new novel, Hammer of the Gods. I've already read and reviewed the novel on Goodreads (a fuller review will be coming this Saturday), and I have to say it's freaking spectacular. If you like mild fantasy novels/historical battles, trust me when I say this is a book series you want to start. I couldn't stop reading!

Last but not least, updates on my newest writing projects. The second Areios Brothers novel is almost finished (about 2.5 more chapters to go), and I'll be relieved when its over. There will be some changes, many of which might come later since I need to update the first novel, Storm of the Gods. I should be getting the Beta edits back any day now, and am hoping to start working on them in June so I can take a deep breath and send out query letters. Once I do that, the series will be out of my hands and there will likely not be updates on it for the rest of the year, unless the incredible happens and it's picked up by a publisher.

Finally, Iron Gargoyle. You guys have no idea how much I'm aching to get really started on that bad boy. I've already created the world history, written the prologue and the first chapter of the first book, and have the basic plots for the series (which will include four full length novels and a series of three novellas revolving around another character), so now I need to set up the world and detail the plots. It's a lot of work, but I love doing it.

So, this blog post turned out to be way longer than I expected. Imagine what my monthly blog post is going to look like!

Anyway, it's time to get back to work. Thanks for spotting by! Cheers!

Amy

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Sunday Snippet: "I didn’t hit my mark."

10:37 pm 28 May 2016

— feeling excited

It's been a crazy week for me with the upcoming release of Damnation's Door, the final Cursed novel, and preparing for the promotion and release of Midnight Sky, the second in the Dark Sky trilogy. That said, I still have time to promote Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly blog tour where authors get together and share 8-10 sentences of their current, upcoming, and newly released work. I'm still carrying on from chapter one of Damnation's Door, and decided that a little chaos is in order. After being faced with one of her most loathsome enemies and his cronies, Constance decides to take matters into her own hands...

I took a risk myself, and threw my silver knife at Drake.

I didn’t miss–I hardly ever miss–but I didn’t hit my mark.

The thin silver blade slammed into the neck of the Possessor standing beside Drake. The huge bounty hunter had stepped to the side so the blade wouldn’t get anywhere near him. He stepped so far I was a little embarrassed at how off my aim had been. Deep down, I knew better. Drake was fast for someone his size, but it looked like he’d gotten quite a bit from his deal with the Devil.

The man lurched, blood gushing from the wound in his neck. He opened his mouth as though to scream, but a spiral of thick black smoke shot out of his mouth. The Possessor’s true form screeched and twisted away in the back room. Then room exploded into action.

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...

Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

Pre-order it here:

| Smashwords |

***

Now, onto the news. I'm happy too announce that the edits Midnight Sky for are done! I likely have some touch-ups to do that will happen when I begin formatting *cries* but I'm sure I'll catch all of them. I was also super excited to receive the artwork for the novel, which is freaking spectacular. Deranged Doctor Design nailed my idea completely, and I couldn't be happier. It's kind of killing me not to show the artwork, but the cover reveal is June 5, but there's still time to sign up for it, along with all the other blitzes and promos I have coming up!

Sign Ups:

Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door (Starting soon!)

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

Now, writing news. While I'm going to be formatting and preparing Midnight Sky, I'm still plugging along with the end of the second Areios Brothers novel. I don't think I've ever had this much trouble writing an action packed ending, though I came up with some absolutely wicked ideas regarding the third book in the series. Not that it will be next on the docket. Nope– Iron Gargoyle is next on the list. I'm still working on the plot, which will likely take a full day, but I'm committed to planning it out so I can send it to Beta readers and publishers after that. It will take a few months to complete, but I'm going to be excited to see it through.

So, that's my truckload of work. Looking at it now reminds me why I wish I didn't have to worry about my Real Job. Yeah, it pays the bills and pays for my writing, but I would really rather just be writing. Such is life, right?

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and leave some love for the authors. Weekend Writing Warriors has just about every genre you can imagine, so you're guaranteed to find something you like! Cheers!

Amy

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Review: Divine Descendant

8:42 am 28 May 2016

It's been a long time since I read the Nikki Glass series by Jenna Black, but I remembered the intense ending and the excitement I felt for the final novel, Divine Descendant. Wrapping up a series is never easy, but I respect it when authors give it their all and do their best to leave fans satisfied while giving the series and characters the closure it deserves. That being said, I wanted more from this finale. Not to say the story wasn't strong and that the characters weren't as memorable as ever, but as I remembered what the Nikki Glass series was capable of, I felt the story was slower and a little more lacking than what I was familiar with. That isn't to say it's bad– far from it. I just think I expected more. Still, if you enjoy urban fantasy and mythology, this is definitely a series worth checking out. Note: Since this the final book in the series, there are major spoilers in the synopsis. I'll keep them out of the review, but be aware.

Sexy cover!

What happens when fertility goddesses go on strike? Nothing much—except maybe the end of the human race.

When private investigator Nikki Glass became immortal as a descendant of Artemis, she never dreamed she’d find herself playing marriage counselor to the gods. But she doesn’t really have much of a choice when the crazed ex-wife of Anderson Kane—a god in disguise who just happens to be the son of a Fury—decides to enact revenge by wiping out all of humanity. Somehow, Nikki must convince the two to kiss and make up, but with Anderson now gone AWOL, she'll have to find him first. To top it all off, the cat’s out of the bag that Anderson killed Konstantin, the Olympians’ deposed leader. Now their new boss—Konstantin’s son—is out for blood.

With every mere mortal’s fate now resting in Nikki’s hands, can she outsmart the gods…or will she be doomed to spend the rest of eternity in a barren and desolate world?

***

The third book in the series, Rogue Descendant, ended in a major cliffhanger and despite the three year wait, I didn't forget it or the complications it would bring main character Nikki Glass or the rest of her descendant allies in their battle against the Olympians. The stakes were raised and they grew even higher when Nikki's leader and friend Anderson's past returns with a literal vengeance.

Longtime readers of the series know that Anderson is way more than meets the eye and has secrets we can only begin to comprehend, but the truths we learned about him shocked even me. Black definitely has an understanding of how old gods reacted to indiscretions and slights, and the crux of the story was seriously appalling. It's always refreshing to read about a plot twist that doesn't involve excessive violence, but is nonetheless awful and sinister.

From there, the story progressed with a steady pace, though it was slower than previous novels with more talks and negotiation taking place than actual action. There was some, but I never Nikki or the other characters were in any serious danger until the end, and I'll talk more about that later.

On a whole, the characters grew very well. Nikki was stronger and braver than ever. I've enjoyed her struggles and determination as a character, and will absolutely miss her more than anyone else. Speaking of anyone else... Jamaal, the love interest. Look, I get that he was consumed with death-magic and had intimacy issues, and I won't deny that his changed attitude stunned me for the better in this instalment. He came a long way and I was proud of him, but I still can't find it in me to like him. He just caused too many problems, was too callous, and wasn't there for Nikki as often as he should have been for me to soften to him. Still, his progression as a character was spectacular and definitely a highlight of the book.

Now, onto the tricky stuff. The ending. A bit of a letdown. The main battle had some intense moments, but to be honest, I was expecting way more casualties, possibly even a major character death (a permanent one, if you know what I mean). Instead, the final confrontation didn't involve a lot of action at all. My first reaction was, "That's it?" Following that was a lack of resolution from a pair of characters I'd been rooting for as a couple. They definitely got shafted and I wasn't happy with how their story ended. Finally, the last scene. Though I can see how it would be a resolution for Nikki and closed out a mystery revolving around her past, I couldn't help but feel it was too major to throw at us and not know how it would be resolved. I mean, this is the last book, and you can't put something like that in the finale and not have longtime readers want to know what it means for Nikki's future.

But these are my opinions, and like I said, the novel is very good. I was happy to return to this universe and see how the finale played out. Yes, I could have done with a little more of almost everything, but if you're looking for a unique take on the urban fantasy/mythology genre, look no further than the Nikki Glass series.

Amy

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Signups And Excitement On The Way!

9:31 am 26 May 2016

It's been a pretty good week so far! On Monday I threw myself into creating the Iron Gargoyle character profiles and world history. I absolutely love it, and can't wait to get started on the first novel. Not that I know the details of the plot yet, but still!

For now, I'm continuing to write the sequel to Storm of the Gods, the second Areios Brothers novel. I'm having a little trouble with the end fight scene, which is strange for me. Good thing it's only the first draft!

Now, onto the cool stuff. I'm very excited to announce that I've seen the final cover of Midnight Sky! I should be getting the full graphics package from the wonder team at Deranged Doctor Design soon, just in time for the cover reveal on June 5. I won't say much, except that it looks freaking amazing, and is exactly what I wanted.

It's been a good week for promotion, what with the ongoing blog tour for Storm Born, spotlights for Storm Born and Damnation's Door, and a review of Dark Divinity from The Blonde Bookworm.

If you're a book blogger coming across this site, you still have the chance to signup for some blog tours, blitzes, reviews, and the Midnight Sky cover reveal!

Sign Ups:

Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

And that's all I have to share for now! I'm also going to be setting up the pre-order links for Midnight Sky next week, since that release date is also coming up shockingly fast. Never let it be said that I'll lack for boredom.***

It's going to be a very busy couple of days, especially as I prepare for the Pre-order Blitz for Damnation's Door, which will be out in under two weeks! I plan to have a few contest going on, so be on the look out for those.

I hope everyone's week is going well. Book review coming Saturday! Cheers!

Amy

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Weekly Recap (And More Tour Sign-Ups!)

10:34 am 23 May 2016

Last week was a doozy, and I hate to admit that I fell behind on my plans. I was caught up with Real Life errands and get togethers and had a crushing work week where I worked my first (and last) 11 hour straight shift. For the record, I only said yes because I knew I'd be responsible for all the work left behind, and Sundays are always extremely busy at the Real Job. That being said, I did what I could– hosting a special guest post, setting up more blog tours and signups (see below), and massively editing/re-writing Midnight Sky.

EditMidnight Sky
Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order setups
Format Midnight Sky
World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods
More promotions for Storm Born

I'm hoping to have almost all of this crossed off soon and am diving headfirst into the workload today:

Finish editingMidnight SkyASAP!
Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order setups
Format Midnight Sky
World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods

And here's everything I have scheduled for basically the next month:

Sign Ups:

Pre-Order Release Blitz for Damnation's Door

Release Blitz and Blog Tour for Damation's Door

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

The Midnight Sky edits will be done today with a couple more read-throughs before I set up the pre-orders. I should have my first sneak peek at the cover on Friday (woo hoo!) and am excited for the upcoming cover reveal put together by En Pointe.

I'm also expecting the Beta reads for Storm of the Gods back soon, which means I'll be doing quick edits before I send it out to publishers next month. Nothing to panic about right? *minor hyperventilation*

Also, I'm getting ready to start the world-building for the Iron Gargoyle series, which I'm going to start once I finish the second Areios Brothers novel. It's kind of killing me to have all these projects open and waiting for me, but only being able to do one of them at a time. But such is life!

So that's all that's going on! After the stressful, far from productive week I just had, I'm ready to hunker down and do some work. Hope everyone had a good weekend, and my fellow Canadians enjoyed their extra day off! Cheers!

Amy

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Guest Post: Fae Visions of the Mediterranean

9:49 am 19 May 2016

I'm excited to have today's blog post feature an interview with the two authors/editors of the newly released Fae Visions of the Mediterranean, which features a short story by fellow Ghost, Gears, and Grimoires author Mattia Ravasi. You all know how much I love mythology and how traveling to Greece has been one of the highlights of my life, so I couldn't say no. Enjoy!

*** -Author's Note:

Fae Visions of the Mediterranean is an anthology of short stories, poems, translations, and other arcane bits of written awesomeness published by The Future Fire. It is meant to represent the diverse and complex nature of the Mediterranean – as a geographical, cultural and historical entity – through tales both cheerful and dark... but generally quite dark. Monsters abound in the pages of Fae Visions, and moving as they are by and beneath the Mediterranean's waves, they hardly ever look out of place.

Valeria and Djibril, the guys who edited the anthology,chose one of my stories for Fae Visions. When it was time to start with the interviews-madness, I thought I should grab the chance and ask them about the anthology's behind-the-scenes, and about what they wanted to achieve. I'm sure all fans of the fantastical and horrific, and especially those of us who are striving to get their stories published, will appreciate this sneak peek at the world of editors, these bizarre creatures.

Thanks to both Valeria and Djibril for being such amazing people to work with, and to Amy for hosting this interview on her fabulous blog. Enjoy!

- Mattia

***

1) Let's start from the beginning, shall we: where did the idea for the Fae Visions anthology come from? What was your goal?

Valeria Vitale: It started with a discussion about material culture. Someone pointed out how the same card games can be found, with very little variations in the deck, among relatively distant cities that have in common “only” the fact of being ports of the Mediterranean. That Mediterranean cities have strong and old (although always evolving) links is something so apparent to me, born on the Ionian sea, that I had never really reflected on it; I had never tried to explain the beauty of growing up in an environment where national borders don’t make a lot of sense. The conversation moved quite naturally from travelling objects to travelling words, songs, tales and characters. If you look at the monsters painted on ancient vessels, you can easily imagine the stories travelling with them—I like to picture ancient sea-captains giving lifts to monsters, hidden in the hold!

So we decided to create a literary space for the wonders and horrors (sometimes the line is thin…) of the Mediterranean. We wanted to allow those peregrine stories to travel even further, reaching the new, dark and cold seas of the Anglophone countries.

2) The bit on the card games was seriously dope. I had no idea about it. Moving on: when you get a story - be it for an anthology or an issue of your magazine - what elements tell you that it's exactly what you are looking for? Do you take any background information about the story's author into account when you judge a story?

Djibril al-Ayad: It’s a more complicated process than that, I think. It varies depending on the editors, but often we start off by just filtering those stories that we both absolutely love: beautifully written, great imagery, that speak to us. Then we discuss that longlist, and decide which ones meet the theme most appropriately, and which contribute to a variety in theme, style, genre, representation (of authors, characters, settings)—apart from that, no the author’s background/gender/ethnicity never comes into the decision as to whether to publish a story or not. Then we have a shortlist which is typically double the length of the final table of contents, and we have to decide not which stories we want to lose—but which stories we know we *mustn’t* lose.

VV: Also, it is very good to work with someone that shares your general views on what makes a good story, but has different tastes and background. It makes you look at the stories with different eyes, and discover other perspectives. Sometimes, after discussing a story with the other editors, we end up with a complete different opinion about it (funnily enough, that means that we still disagree, but in a new way :-) ). It is a very interesting process, and has taught me a lot, not only about literature.

DA: That’s right. One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed with previous anthologies I’ve co-edited has been that the stories I hated but was talked into, or the stories my co-editor hated and I talked them into, are precisely the ones that end up being the strongest stories, most popular, most likely to win awards, etc. Having two sets of eyes helping to overcome each other’s prejudices is incredibly valuable.

3) If you could have one living writer — any writer — contribute an extra story to the 2nd, extended, golden, exclusive limited edition of Fae Visions of the Mediterranean, who would she or he be?

DA: Well, we really wouldn't like to prejudge the slushpile of a future anthology, because for example our very favourite author could in theory submit something and we might decide the story doesn’t fit (which is also why I never commission stories for anthologies). But you’re asking us to dream, so in the spirit of that I’ll say that it would be great to have people of the calibre of Amal El Mohtar, Lavie Tidhar, Pilar Pedreza, Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, Alda Teodorani or Vered Tochterman contributing to the slush some day. Who knows? Nothing’s impossible.

VV: Actually, we _are_ thinking of a second volume! (We had not really planned a golden, limited edition, but we could work on that...). First, it was such a good experience, and we got so many good and interesting stories, that we don’t really want to stop (well, maybe just for a while). Second, and more important, we felt that there were some voices and themes that didn’t get represented as much as we would have liked in Fae Visions. So, we plan to open another call in the future, looking especially for stories coming from—or talking about—North Africa and the Near East. So, in case Amal, Lavie, Ahmed or Vered were a bit upset because they missed the first call… they can cheer up!

4) A bit of behind-the-scenes: what is the best part and what is the worst part of your job as editors?

VV: That’s an easy one! The best thing is when, reading the slushpile, you stumble on a very, very good story. One of those you stop reading halfway through just to say “wow”; something that is so moving, and bold, and unexpected that it blows you away. When that happens (and, luckily, it is not a rare thing) you feel really privileged to have a role in bringing this amazing thing to life, you’re so proud to have built a little window for its beauty to shine.

DA: And it may be a cliché, but the worst thing is having to reject a bunch of stories from the final ToC that you really loved when you first read them. I’m sure authors never believe us when we write, “We loved your story, but we couldn’t include everything we loved in the final anthology,” but I make a point of only saying that when it’s true. It’s hard. It hurts. We know it’s necessary to make the anthology as strong as it can be—more than the sum of its parts, not just the best individual stories we have found, but the finest and most coherent collection of stories on the specific theme—but it still goes against the grain to turn down a story that’s so wonderful.

5) If you had to live one full year in a city on the Mediterranean, which one would you pick?

VV: I am deeply fascinated by the cities on the Mediterranean. They all seem to have incredible stories. Did you know that the island of Gozo in Malta is supposed to be Calypso’s island? Actually, it seems that Ulysses himself is buried in a port city of Libya. And, speaking of Libya, the city of Benghazi once carried the name of the fierce queen Berenike, whose luxurious hair mysteriously flew to the sky, where it can still be seen, among the stars. So, what I would really like to do is to spend one year visiting Mediterranean cities, travelling from tale to tale, following the most bizarre, poetic names.

But, I know, this is a cheating answer. You asked for one city. So, if I had to pick one, I’d say Tangier. I irrationally fell in love with it last year, the same way sometimes we fall in love with people and couldn’t really explain why. We only know that they look absolutely gorgeous to us.

DA: I’ve never lived on the Mediterranean, nor even spent more than a couple of days there, to be honest, so I’d probably pick a city where I can at least speak the language, and could work, but isn’t too touristy. Marseilles? Barcelona? (I’m told Taranto is grotesquely beautiful! ;-) )

6) Finally, big question: what plans do you guys have for the future, whether with the Futurefire.net Press or on your own?

DA: We’ve had a busy last year or so with both The Future Fire magazine and Futurefire.net Publishing anthologies, so things will be slowing down a little bit for the next few months. We still have a couple of projects in the pipeline: a feminist-themed issue of the magazine, and a possible follow-up to one of our earlier anthologies being mooted, and we’re open to new ideas, as always. I really want to be in the position to build up our baseline, though—for a start to be able to pay illustrators better, since we have a fabulous quality of artists now, and it’s starting to feel like we can’t impose on their goodwill and enthusiasm forever. But in the meantime we’ll focus on the magazine for this year, and see where that takes us.

VV: The best thing about plans for the future is that you always end up doing something else! So, I’m very curious to discover what we will be doing that we had not planned!

***

Thanks to Mattia, Valeria, and Djibril for stopping by! It was great to have you on the blog!

Amy

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Weekly Recap (And MIDNIGHT SKY Synopsis Reveal!)

10:11 am 16 May 2016

Busy busy busy! Those were my words of the week. I honestly didn't sleep well at all last week, but I'm hoping that today will be a little more relaxing. I got most of my goals finished last week, though!

World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods
More promotions for Storm Born
Begin promotions for Damnation's Door/Cursed seriesand book reviews/spotlights
Quick edits for Dark Skynovellas, then send to Beta readers
Continue to work on new website (a slow moving project happening when I decide I have time)

Since I got the edits back for Midnight Sky, I'm going to focus on those for the next couple days so I can get that part over with and move onto the bane of my existence, formatting. This week's goals are:

EditMidnight Sky
Midnight Skymedia kit and pre-order setups
Format Midnight Sky
World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series (create a map)
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods
More promotions for Storm Born

If you swung by my blog yesterday for Weekend Writing Warriors/8Sunday, you might have heard me mention that I'm going to reveal the official synopsis for Midnight Sky, set to be released August 2. Since the cover is on its way (excited squeal) and pre-order links are *hopefully* coming next week, I think now's a suitable time to share the official synopsis of the second Dark Sky novel...

***

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices…

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

***

What do you think? I can tell you that I'm super excited about Midnight Sky. I had a great time writing it and hope that it will live to the standards I set in Crimson Sky.

I've still got some promos surrounding Storm Born, as well as opportunities for bloggers interested in promoting new books:

Giveaways:

Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

Now, writing news. While my priorities are shifted to Midnight Sky for the time being, I'm still working on the second Areios Brothers novel. I'm about halfway through, and am hoping to have it done by the end of the month/mid June so I can move onto The Iron Gargoyle. I'm at the point in the story where I need to actually know more about the world and its history, and as much as I want to, I haven't had the time to dedicate to writing out the details I need. Between writing, preparing for two more releases, and the Real Job, I have to prioritize. Sucky, I know, but such is life. Still, I know that if I suck it up and do the work, I'll have more time to dedicate to my novels and the work I really love. Wow, it really must be a Monday.

Stay tuned for more details on upcoming work! Cheers!

Amy

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Sunday Snippet: "This just keeps getting better and better."

11:55 pm 14 May 2016

It's that time of the week again– 8Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors, the indie blog hop for authors looking to entice readers by offering 8-10 sentences in a teaser snippet. I'm continuing with the first chapter of Damnation's Door, the last novel in the Cursed series. Last week, main character Constance and her companions began to realize they were in a trap, confronted with Possessors. In today's snippet, she gets a better look at her enemy...

The Possessors looked like regular humans, except their irises were solid black. I held back my shiver, knowing just how much pain their souls must be in. Being possessed was one of the worst things a human could experience. I had barely survived it.

These Possessors had taken over a group of tall, bulky men in black clothes. Their hair ranged from shoulder-length to bald, and their arms were covered in tattoos. Each had the tattoo of a rose thorn that appeared to be weaving in and out of their skin, blood dripping from the points. I had the same one inked behind my ear.

This just keeps getting better and better.

***

Demons are free. Angels are fallen. Hope is dying...

Constance Ramirez and her adopted sister, Andromeda, have stopped Lucifer’s plan– They have closed the Heaven Gate and kept the demons out. But their choice came with brutal consequences, and now every angel on earth is trapped in their mortal body.

All that remains is closing the Hell Gate and establishing a balance once and for all. That means returning to the city of Constance’s nightmares, which has become a haven for murderers and monsters. But even more dangerous than their hunt is that Andromeda’s powers and instincts are turning darker, and this time Constance doesn’t know how to protect her.

Constance is ready to fight for her life, but her enemies have plans she can’t begin to imagine, and they’re prepared to make her suffer...
Trust is lost and hearts are broken in the epic conclusion in Amy Braun’s Cursed trilogy...

Pre-order it here:

***

Current giveaways and promotions:

Giveaways for Storm Born:

Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

This week will be busy. A couple days ago, I got the edits back for Midnight Sky, the second Dark Sky novel. I've got a bit more tweaking to do, but I'm hoping to get that off my plate ASAP so I can start finalizing the novel and move it toward formatting, pre-order set ups, and the like. It would be nice to have that off the table for August, especially since I'll need to make time for the Beta edits for Amber Sky and Smoke Sky. Since my deadlines are coming up, I'm excited to announce that tomorrow I'll officially reveal the synopsis for Midnight Sky!

That's all the major news I'll offer for this post, since it's getting late for me and I need to catch some of that mystical entity called Sleep. Be sure to check out the other blogs on the Weekend Writing Warriors website. There are tons of great authors out there just waiting to be discovered! Leave them some love!

Cheers!

Amy

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Review: Soldier

8:50 am 14 May 2016

I've been a fan of Julie Kagawa's work for years. She's an incredible author with a powerful voice, richly detailed worlds, pulse-pounding action, fantastic characterization, and is one of the best romance authors I know. She's also notoriously brutal for cliffhangers, but we'll get to that in a minute. I've loved every novel in the Talon Saga to date, and I knew that the third novel, Soldier, wouldn't disappoint me. Not only did it meet that expectation, it surpassed any other goal I could have possibly set for it. It was all I could do not to stop everything and finish the book from cover to cover, even though I knew the end was going to be about as crushing as I assumed it would be. This is Julie Kagawa, after all. This is a book review so I'm going to do some nitpicking, but believe me when I say that not only is Soldier the best in the Talon Saga so far, it's one of the best novels I've read all year. Nail-biting, shocking, emotional, and utterly fantastic, my one regret being that I had to put it down for Real Life.

The price of freedom is everything.

When forced to choose between safety with the dragon organization Talon and being hunted forever as an outcast, Ember Hill chose to stand with Riley and his band of rogue dragons rather than become an assassin for Talon. She’s lost any contact with her twin brother, Dante, a Talon devotee, as well as Garret, the former-enemy soldier who challenged her beliefs about her human side.

As Ember and Riley hide and regroup to fight another day, Garret journeys alone to the United Kingdom, birthplace of the ancient and secret Order of St. George, to spy on his former brothers and uncover deadly and shocking secrets that will shake the foundations of dragons and dragonslayers alike and place them all in imminent danger as Talon’s new order rises.

***

I didn't put a spoiler alert up because I don't want to give anything away. I want people who read this review to know as little as possible so they give in to temptation and start reading the Talon Saga. Yes, I know some older readers will frown because it's a Young Adult novel. Trust me when I say that doesn't matter in the least. The characters are mature, and their situation, particularly in Soldier, is compelling enough that the target audience doesn't matter. I'll recommend it to everyone until I'm blue in the face. Yes. That's how good it is.

The story itself was extremely strong. Kagawa is fantastic at writing plot twists, and I didn't see the massive game changer coming. Maybe because I didn't expect it so early on, but mostly because it was so monumental, I actually froze in place and re-read the sentence. I never do that. Yeah. That's how crazy it was. Though the major twist drove the story, it was by no means the only one. As I experienced the shock of each one, I truly felt connected to the characters. I knew the twist at the end would be utterly painful (and it was, but I won't for a single second believe it until the fourth book is out and proves me wrong), I definitely did not anticipate the final, earth-shattering twist in the epilogue. The combination of those two twists actually made it hard to focus on the next book I wanted to read. I've read 77 books so far this year, and I can't remember the last one that made me react this way.

The entire series is told from varying points of view: From Ember, a young dragon struggling to find a balance between humanity and her dragon instincts, Garret, a former dragon slayer on the run from the organization he dedicated his life to, Riley, leader of a dragon resistance, and Dante, Ember's twin and devoted member of dragon society. Normally, you would think that this is a lot of perspectives to juggle and that telling the difference between one character from the other could be confusing. Not true. Kagawa knows her characters well, and is able to convey that every time she shifts to another POV. Even if I didn't know the name of the character going into their corresponding chapter, or the settings that differentiated them, I would instantly know the difference by the character voice.

While I praise Soldier for its plot twists, the highlights were, as always, the characters. This was definitely a predominantly Garret story, which I was more than happy with, since he's my favourite. I love the insights we got to his past, his struggles, his determination, his morality, and his devotion to Ember. He had a plot twist himself, and I can't wait to know more about it. Ember and Riley both had strong stories as well, though I felt that their stories were a little too focused on their romance. It was key to Riley's part in the love triangle, and while I like him, I don't see myself investing in him as a love interest. Probably because I'm biased to Garret, but I like hearing about him and the resistance more than hearing about him with Ember. For Ember herself, her story was a cross between her conflicted emotions and her struggle to cope with the thing she must do in the war. I enjoyed those parts and wanted more, grateful that the romance was steadily paced throughout most of the story. Finally, I've heard some readers think Dante's story was boring, but I wholeheartedly disagree. It was shocking and while it was mostly set-up, it got me even more invested in his story. It was his twist at the very, very, very end that basically made my head spin. I get the feeling that the next Talon book will revolve mainly around Dante, and I'm honestly extremely eager for that.

The action was strong and thrilling, as it always is with Kagawa. Call me biased, but I think she's unquestionably one of the best authors of this generation, and a queen in writing Young Adult fiction. It's killing me that I have to wait another year for her next novel, but I was so blown away by her writing and Soldier in particular that I'm willing to suffer the wait. If you haven't read any of the Talon Saga yet, drop what you're doing and get your hands on a copy now. Soldier is absolutely one of my top books of the year, and I know that whatever Kagawa has planned next, it will rock my world harder than I'll ever anticipate. And I can't wait.

Amy

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Giveaways and Signups Still Open!

9:31 am 12 May 2016

This week has been slower than I expected for writing. Real Life has been getting in the way, and while I won't complain about having fun with friends, I do wish I had a little more time to get in all the work I set out for myself. Still, I've been working on what I can in between promoting Storm Born.

Buy it here:

Giveaways:

There are also open sign-ups for any urban fantasy/steampunk blogger wishing to promote new indie books!

Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

In writing news, the Beta edits for Amber Sky and Smoke Sky are out with Beta readers. I'm still working on the second Areios Brothers novel and the opening chapters of The Iron Gargoyle. I love writing both, but I would rather finish the second Areios Brothers novel first since I'm further into it and know the world better than the Iron Gargoyle world. But both have been a lot of fun to write, and I'm eager to continue.

So that's what's new! Hopefully there will be more exciting news on the way!

Cheers!

Amy

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Weekly Recap

3:32 pm 9 May 2016

Last week was crazy for writing... And I loved every second of it. I got to release a new book, continue writing one that I love, played around in the new world for another new series, and planned ahead for future novels. I achieved all my goals, though they're not *really* complete...

World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods
More promotions for Storm Born
Begin promotions for Damnation's Doorand book reviews/spotlights

Still, I'm glad I was able to get through everything, and tacking on some projects with approaching due dates. I swear, I live by my calendar. So while most of my goals are going to remain the same because I have to expand on them, I'm hoping to get a couple other things done:

World building, histories, series outline, and plots for the Iron Gargoyle series
Continue writing the sequel to Storm of the Gods
More promotions for Storm Born
Begin promotions for Damnation's Door/Cursed seriesand book reviews/spotlights
Quick edits for Dark Skynovellas, then send to Beta readers
Continue to work on new website

Yup, all of that is on my plate this week, and it's going to be a short one for sure. Real Life catches up with you when you least expect it, so I think I'm only going to have time for promotions and editing/emailing. I do want to work on the second Areios Brothers novel, but I'm at a phase where I'm integrating some of the old novel into the new, and unfortunately I can't work on it away from my house. With my free time, I've been writing some of my other new series, Iron Gargoyle. I actually started the second chapter not too long ago, and I love it so far.

But my priority is of course my new release!

A single night can change your life… for the worst.

It’s been a century since the last Centennial Storm, the calamitous phenomenon that covered the world in disasters– tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, and dust storms– caused not by nature, but by alien creatures from another realm. The Stormkind.

Ava Reid tries not to think about that night, when she was caught in a hurricane and brought face to face with one of the Stormkind, the man with a dagger, and the agony she felt when he stabbed her with a crystal blade. Yet as she and the rest of Florida’s citizens begin to rebuild their lives, Ava can’t help but notice strange things happening around her. Things she seems to be causing. The gusts of wind and sudden floods attract the attentions of a mysterious stranger who leaves her clues, and the deadlier men following her.

It isn’t long before Ava is swept up into a wild conspiracy, led by a secret society that knows the truth about the Stormkind– and what their enemies have planned for the world she loves. If she wishes to protect her friends and her family, Ava must harness her strange new abilities and become part of the Stormkind society. Because if she loses control, there will be no force strong enough to stop her…

Buy it here:

Reviews:

Giveaways:

***

It's so thrilling to have another standalone novel written and published. I love this feeling, and am eager to see it continue in the coming months. I've gotten great feedback on Storm Born so far, and couldn't be happier with the enthusiasm surrounding it, given how nervous I was about the release.

So I'll be riding the book-release-high for a while, though I'll have to bring attention to the other two major releases I have coming up this year. I decided to work with XPresso Book Tours and En Pointe to help me schedule book tours, reviews, and the like, since it takes a lot of time and I can only send so many emails in a day. I'm super excited about the blitzes and tours for Damnation's Door and the Cursed series, as well as for Midnight Sky, the second Dark Sky novel. There are already a bunch of sign ups that anyone with a book blog or love of books can sign up for!

Sign Ups:

Review Opportunity for Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky

***

I've also got a lot of editing coming my way. The edits for Midnight Sky should be back in the next few weeks (along with the cover!), and I need to prepare the Beta edits for Amber Sky and Smoke Sky, the two prequel novellas for the Dark Sky series. It will be interesting to see how the stories hold up, since I haven't looked at them since I finished my initial drafts last year.

And that's what's going on! I'm really excited to continue with all these projects and improve as an author. Hopefully I can find a way to clear off most of that list!

Cheers!

Amy

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Review: Bright Blaze of Magic

11:25 pm 7 May 2016

I'm always sad to see the end of a great book series, especially when I've grown to love the characters, their abilities, and the world created by an author I love. Bright Blaze of Magic, the last in Jennifer Estep's Black Blade series ends with adventure and danger, pitting the heroine against her greatest foe and testing the limits of her power. Bright Blaze of Magic left me wanting more from a series that I think should have been drawn out an expanded, but still left me feeling suitably fulfilled and pleased at the end as a fangirl.

Bad Things Always Come In Threes…

As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.

Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair. What they don't know is that I'm on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I've got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…

***

The story took was definitely the darkest of the trilogy, with a massive attack happening early on in the book that forces Lila, her boyfriend Devon, and two of her friends into scrambling for a solution that will save Lila's new Family. To this extent, I thought the story was executed well (no pun intended!). It meshed with the villain's motives and was truly diabolical.

The action was as solid as ever– a staple in all of Jennifer Estep's work– and the climactic battle scene was truly intense. Estep is exceptional in using descriptive sentences to paint a vivid picture for the reader while igniting their senses and making them feel like they're in Lila's world. That being said, much of the action took place in the form of chases and escapes. Not a bad or boring thing, but i think I'm more used to the creative action in Estep's Elemental Assassin series.

The characters are great. Lila is a powerful, inspiring lead, and the side characters are unique and distinctive from one another. I liked the growth of Lila and Deah– both are strong female characters who are more than capable of fighting for themselves. I was also really happy that Devon was willing to trust Lila to take care of herself when he's been protective in the past, though I do wish there had been a little more romance and perhaps drama between them. It had been prominent in the past two books and while they had tender moments, I was hoping for a little more tension in their budding romance.

For me, there was only one part of the story that irked me– the dialogue. Normally, I love Estep's writing style. I'm serious when I say she's been a huge inspiration to me and my work. She's a successful author with nearly 40 stories to her name, and I will always look forward to pre-ordering and devouring her next piece of work. That being said, I felt the dialogue in Bright Blaze of Magic was a bit too cheesy and even repetitive in some states. Blake Draconi (one of the major villains) had so much campy dialogue I was laughing at him more than I was feeling threatened by him.

That being said, I adored the story for all that it was worth. I'll definitely remember the series, the memorable characters, and the fantastic storyline. Thank you for the adventure, Jennifer Estep! I look forward to more in the future!

Amy

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STORM BORN, Giveaways, and Blogger Sign-Ups!

10:17 am 5 May 2016

The past few weeks have been pretty minimal in terms of Thursday posts. Not the case today, since my latest standalone novel, Storm Born, has been released!

A single night can change your life… for the worst.

It’s been a century since the last Centennial Storm, the calamitous phenomenon that covered the world in disasters– tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, tsunamis, and dust storms– caused not by nature, but by alien creatures from another realm. The Stormkind.

Ava Reid tries not to think about that night, when she was caught in a hurricane and brought face to face with one of the Stormkind, the man with a dagger, and the agony she felt when he stabbed her with a crystal blade. Yet as she and the rest of Florida’s citizens begin to rebuild their lives, Ava can’t help but notice strange things happening around her. Things she seems to be causing. The gusts of wind and sudden floods attract the attentions of a mysterious stranger who leaves her clues, and the deadlier men following her.

It isn’t long before Ava is swept up into a wild conspiracy, led by a secret society that knows the truth about the Stormkind– and what their enemies have planned for the world she loves. If she wishes to protect her friends and her family, Ava must harness her strange new abilities and become part of the Stormkind society. Because if she loses control, there will be no force strong enough to stop her…

Buy it here:

***

Storm Born's release day was insane. Unquestionably the biggest release day I've done so far. I don't know how I'm going to handle all that work with future novels (well, I have some ideas, but more on that later), but I look forward to the challenge!

I had all kinds of things happening on Tuesday, everything from a release day blitz on Cover2Cover to listings on Authorsdb, BookLife, and Story Cartel, reviews, and giveaways:

Reviews:

Giveaways:

Blog | Goodreads | The Blonde Bookworm | The Bookish Crypt |

***

There will be plenty more giveaways and reviews as time passes, I'm sure, not to mention more promotions on various blogs. It was exhausting, but I am glad that Storm Born finally out into the world. I'm still reeling from having another standalone novel out in the ebook world, I'm also thinking ahead to new projects. Since setting up blog tours, reviews, giveaways, etc, is monumentally time-consuming (seriously, so many hours), I've decided to collaborate with a couple great book tour companies to expand my reader/reviewer/blogger reach– XPresso Book Tours (the same company that set up the cover reveal for Damnation's Door) and En Pointe. Both are going to help me set up book blitzes and tours for Damnation's Door and the Cursed series, as well as for Midnight Sky, the second Dark Sky novel. I'm very excited to see how this will unfold, as both companies have been very prompt with replies and helpful with every question I've had. There are already sign ups for book bloggers interested in reviewing either an urban fantasy trilogy about demons, angels, and tough women, or a steampunk fantasy horror series with vampires and pirates!

Sign Ups: